In December 2025, Serena Williams shocked the tennis world when her name reappeared on the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s (ITIA) anti-doping testing pool list. This development led to discussions between Danielle Collins and Lindsay Davenport about the possibility of the former World No. 1 making a comeback.
Williams’ name was added to the ITIA’s international testing pool on December 2, 2025, sparking immediate speculation within the tennis community regarding her potential return to the professional tour.
Danielle Collins and Lindsay Davenport Speculate Serena Williams’ Comeback
The ITIA, through spokesperson Adrian Bassett, confirmed that Williams herself requested reinstatement in the testing pool, but could not clarify whether this means she plans to return to the tour. Amid the speculation, the 23-time Grand Slam champion — who retired from tennis in 2022 — took to social media to state clearly that she is “not coming back” to the WTA Tour.
While discussing the matter on the Tennis Channel, Davenport expressed her belief that Williams is “definitely” contemplating a comeback, mentioning that one typically joins the anti-doping testing pool only if they are serious about returning to competition.
“Definitely, you only put your name out of that list. You don’t want people knocking on your door at any time unless you’re really serious about it,” Davenport said.
Collins agreed, stating that she can’t envision Williams signing up for drug testing without a genuine intention to play again. “I can’t imagine her just wanting to sign up for drug testing just for the sake of it,” Collins added.
Is the Serena 2026 comeback happening?
Danielle and Lindsay aren’t ruling it out ‼️ pic.twitter.com/PXPHr1faf8
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) January 5, 2026
Davenport concurred and stated that the 23-time Grand Slam champion–who is also a mother of two daughters and a businesswoman–would not have re-entered her name on the testing pool list unless she was truly serious about returning to the sport.
“Keep in mind you have to give an out one hour out of every day that they can come and knock on your door, 06:00 a.m. or whatever time. So, a mother of two, a businesswoman. You’re not willingly entering that unless you’re serious,” Davenport said.
Collins added that she hopes Williams makes a comeback and expressed a desire to play doubles with her.
“I’m kind of hoping that she’s gonna come back. I never got a chance to play doubles with Serena. So if you’re watching this, ‘Girl I’m here. I think let’s debut together and we can hit the karaoke bar after,’” Collins added.
Williams turned professional in 1995 and won a total of 39 Grand Slam titles throughout her career, including 23 singles titles. She claimed 14 Grand Slam titles in doubles alongside Venus Williams, and also won two mixed doubles titles.
Williams was ranked World No. 1 in both singles and doubles in the WTA rankings, secured four Olympic medals, and had numerous other accolades. She retired from professional tennis in 2022, following her appearance at the US Open.
